The Cambodia-Canada Legislative Support Project

Presidents’ Forum
“Moving Forward: Lessons Learned from the Cambodia-Canada Legislative Support Project”
December 4, 2007

The Presidents’ Forum is an annual activity, unique to the Parliamentary Centre’s Canada-Cambodia Legislative Support Project (CCLSP). It is a venue designed to explore issues of parliamentary reform crucial to the Cambodian context and to report on progress and future directions. The third Forum took place in Phnom Penh on December 4th, 2007. It was co-chaired by Samdech Heng Samring, President of the National Assembly, and H.R.H Samdech Sisowath Chivanmonirak, First Vice President of the Senate. The Forum was attended by more than 200 participants including Cambodian parliamentarians and senior legislative staff, government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organizations and civil society. This Forum focused on the lessons learned from the implementation of the CCLSP over the last 6 years and the way they could contribute to increasing effectiveness of other capacity development projects for the parliament of Cambodia. 

Participants discussed the state of parliamentary development in the world and evolving views on the role of representative institutions in governance processes. While the legislative function remains a significant one, the oversight and representative roles of parliament become increasingly important. Parliament is a key institution that ensures that the road to good governance is followed and continuous improvements are made on the way. However, in order to successfully fulfill all these roles, parliament has to be an effective and efficient institution itself.

The CCLSP, as all speakers unanimously concurred, provided significant contribution to enhancing the Cambodian parliament’s capacity to execute its responsibilities. Samdech Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, underscored the overall contribution CCLSP made to good governance and democratic development in the country through activities, which endowed the Cambodian parliament with strengthened ability to better exercise its law-making, representative and oversight roles. He also highlighted the fact that CCLSP, to ensure sustainability of the project, produced more than 50 manuals and guidelines on parliamentary procedures, among which are:

• Rule of laws norms guidelines;
• Key steps on gender analysis of legislation;
• Handbook for parliamentarians on poverty reduction policies;
• Parliamentary oversight of gender equity;
• Conflict of interest codes for members of National Assembly and Senate;
• Guidelines on public consultations;
• Guidelines on human resources management policies in parliament;
• Quarterly parliamentary bulletin.
  

HE Samdech Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly of Cambodia, also mentioned that the parliament was able to develop its own “Strategic Framework and Action Plan for Capacity Strengthening”, which outlined the intended short, medium, and long term results, which are critical for the successful functioning of the parliament. This plan will also be instrumental in coordinating current and future legislative development assistance programs.
Cambodian parliamentarians from both chambers that have been actively involved in the program commended CCLSP not on just the knowledge and expertise it had imparted, but also on a professional, impartial approach it assumed in its cooperation with the parliament of Cambodia. The parliamentarians also praised the responsiveness and flexibility of the project towards the real needs of the legislature. All the speakers agreed that strengthening democratic institutions is a long term process and while CCLSP developed a strong foundation for strengthening the work of the Parliament of Cambodia, still a lot remains to be done. Therefore they all reiterated their strong hope for the continuation of the program.

In officially closing the forum, H.R.H. Prince Chivanmonirak mentioned that the need to strengthen institutions and mechanisms of good governance is one of the greatest challenges facing Cambodia today. The CCLSP through the President’s Forum created a highly effective venue to network, foster dialogue, develop cooperation, and share knowledge, experiences, best practices and lessons learned on issues relating to governance and transparency among parliamentary leaders, which is a key to success in strengthening good governance in Cambodia.